John Deere 9 Series Tracked Tractor with Planetary Steering

[frizzen]

Very cool.
I still can't get over how good looking that disk came out

Do you plan on the planter using hydraulics or a linear actuator?

[cooker2003]

The planter will be hydraulic. Now that the tractor is running hydraulics, it's tough to go back to electric. So much more power and control with hydraulics.

[ddmckee54]

Originally Posted by cooker2003

No magic! The forward (insert) part of the hitch telescopes into the rear part of the center frame hitch, just like on the real DB planters.

I thought it was probably something like that. If I'm reading it right, the center section will telescope back when the wings fold, and telescope forward when the wings open. I know this is just a model, and that it won't be under the stresses of the real machine. But once they're unfolded is there a mechanical stop to keep the wings from trying to go beyond their open position? A hard stop so that the center section can't move any farther forward maybe? I would think that the wings will want to fold back if there is any kind of drag on them once they are open.

[cooker2003]

Originally Posted by ddmckee54

I thought it was probably something like that. If I'm reading it right, the center section will telescope back when the wings fold, and telescope forward when the wings open. I know this is just a model, and that it won't be under the stresses of the real machine. But once they're unfolded is there a mechanical stop to keep the wings from trying to go beyond their open position? A hard stop so that the center section can't move any farther forward maybe? I would think that the wings will want to fold back if there is any kind of drag on them once they are open.

The real planter has a latch near the front of the hitch that captures the insert-part of the hitch when the planter is unfolded. I haven't figured out yet what I'll do about that.

There are stops on the real planter that keep the wings from over-extending. I'll have some adjustable stops on mine to make sure everything lines up & has some room for adjustment.